No Place for US Consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem, Bennett Says

Israel has told the United States that it is opposed to the reopening of a consulate in Jerusalem to serve the Palestinians, and has suggested that it be opened in the West Bank.

“We have expressed our position [to the US] determinedly, quietly, without drama, and I hope it will be understood. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel alone,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said at a news conference held on Saturday night to discuss the passage of state budgets for 2021 and 2022, joined by Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Designate Yair Lapid, and Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman.

“My position, which has been presented to the Americans by myself and by Foreign Minister Lapid, is that there is no place for an American consulate that serves the Palestinians in Jerusalem,” Bennett said.

A consulate in Jerusalem serving the Palestinians living in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem was closed when the US Embassy was moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018. The Biden administration has said it will reopen the consulate but has not announced a date for that reopening.

Lapid at the news conference suggested that the US consider opening a consulate serving Palestinians in Ramallah, the seat of government of the Palestinian Authority. Israel must consent to the opening of a diplomatic mission in the country.